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If you’re like me, you enjoy building decks. If you’re really like me, you really get your creative juices flowing when there are new cards to be had. If you’re very much like me, well, that’s just creepy.

New sets always make me want to build new decks, and Magic 2011 is no exception. This is even though I’m currently studying for the infamous Bar Exam, which is taking up the vast, vast majority of my time and attention. A few cards have come to my attention, and I wanted to consider building a deck around them. Namely, the cards were the oh-so-synergistic Triskelion

and friends), and if that is the route you want to take, all the more power to you. What I thought I would do this time, however, was something a little different.

Wizards has been focused on new player acquisition as of late, and all signs point to their approach being a success. Magic seems alive and well, and multiple store owners have told me that they have seen rather remarkable increases in player numbers over the last several months. One of the most important aspects to consider when entering Magic, however, is that the game has been around for a while and is only getting older, making acquiring substantial sets of past cards more difficult and expensive. So for this deck, I am only using cards from Magic 2011 or as far back as Zendikar. So, put another way, this does not include cards from Magic 2010 or before. While this deck won’t be necessarily budget-minded, I’ll definitely stay away from the big-money cards. After putting the deck together, I’ll discuss options for an expanded card pool.

(3) – This is what I like to see; the body size for cost is great and the evasion can be really important.Pilgrim’s Eye (3) – Aha! An artifact creature with evasion that fetches a land card right away; it seems solid. Artifacts are apparently really good at flying these days.Reinforced Bulwark

, but without the evasion or the wall-dodging capabilities. The Lodestone should be considered for any deck heavy on the artifacts. This is a rare, but not a particularly expensive one, and while this deck isn’t meant to be a budget-breaker, a few other rares are certainly acceptable.Stone Golem

– While this does have the benefit of tapping down potential attackers/blockers if necessary, I’m not sure that this is really what I want, since unlike the others so far, this is a one-shot.Tideforce Elemental

– While this has some versatility, it’s probably not enough to justify going into red.Oran-Rief, the Vastwood – I included this just to be thorough, but notice the lack of green creatures in the deck.Primal Cocoon

, if need be, don’t forget that the other artifact creatures should be getting pretty huge themselves, and there is always just the option of running the opponent over with your machine army. Let’s solidify the support cards now:

Looking at the deck, there is a very strong sense of synergy here. The Overseer is capable of elevating your creatures to incredible sizes very quickly thanks to the untapping effects. Those creatures usually have flying, making them must-deal-with yet quite replaceable threats. If you get out a Triskelion

If you want to add more expensive cards to the deck and are looking further back than Zendikar, there are several options. Tezzeret works wonders at untapping your Overseers and tutoring for your key components. Platinum Angel

Hopefully, even more than creating a fun yet unexpectedly powerful deck, this helps you try to think about other synergies beyond the obvious rares and mythics in the new set. As a general rule, if you think of something new and fun, don’t rest until you’ve actually had a chance to put it to the test- your deck will probably be an interesting surprise, and not just for you!

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